The Beast of Eureka
by rika08
Summary: Eureka is being hunted by some kind of beast. People are dead nad more will die if it's not stopped. Zane/Jo and hinted Allison/Jack. rated for gore.
1. Chapter 1

Jo Lupo walked through the facial recognition scanner at GD. She weaved through the employees that had just entered, making her way to her office. Jo sipped her Vincspresso as she walked to her office.

Jo entered her office and waked to her desk. She set her coffee on her desk and sat in her chair. Several files sat in the middle of her desk. Jo took the top file and opened it up. Inside were details of GD firewall upgrading. Jo set it aside and looked at the next file. The Linguistics department was testing a new translation device. The next file was a report of the failed Gravitation Defense Field demonstration down two days ago.

Jo set the report down and took another sip of her coffee. Half of her reports were upcoming experiments and what she should expect if the demonstrations went wrong. The other half was demonstration results, failed and successful alike. Reason is was successful, reason it wasn't. Nothing life threatening or dangerous…thank god.

"Yo Lupo."

Jo groaned internally. She looked up from her desk. Zane stood in the doorway of her office. He wore a grey tee shirt with some design Jo didn't recognize.

"Is there something I can do for you?" Jo asked.

"Yeah, Director wants you present for the whole GD computer upgrade." Zane answered. He called over his shoulder as he left. "Five minutes."

Jo tilted her head, and faked a smile. "Thanks for letting me know." She rose from her desk and walked toward the door. So much for a decent morning.

here we go


	2. Chapter 2

Jo entered the GD computer central network system. Fargo was already present, near the controls hovering over Zane. Jo walked from the door to Fargo's side. As he straightened u pas saw her, he jumped.

"Don't do that." Fargo said.

"Can you tell me why I'm here?" Jo asked.

Fargo shrugged. "I thought this would be a time where the Security Chief is needed, in case something goes wrong."

"Nothing's going to go wrong." Zane called.

"I've heard that before." Fargo said.

Jo closed her eyes and shook her head. "Fargo, I've got a stack of reports that need to be reviewed by the end of today."

"This will only take five minutes. Right Zane?" Fargo asked.

"Two minutes, tops." Zane answered. "And we're ready to start."

Fargo looked back to Zane and nodded. "Let's do it then."

Zane cracked his knuckles. "Alright, GD mainframe upgrade in three…two…one."

In the main screen and gray panel appeared: _Upload in progress._ The progress bar filled quickly. There was a loud hum coming from the central core. Then a second grey panel appeared on the screen: _Upload complete_. The small crowd clapped.

"Alright, GD s now upgraded." Zane said.

Suddenly the lights flickered. Jo looked up at the lights. Then the computer screens shut off one by one. Jo felt a headache coming on.

"What's going on?" Fargo asked.

Zane looked at his consol, but it shut down. "I have no idea."

Suddenly the lights shut off. Backup power didn't kick in. Jo sighed heavily. So much for a decent morning.

"Zane." Jo called.

"It's not me." Zane replied.

"Fix it." Jo ordered. She could hear someone working on a control panel.

"Already on it, Lupo. Don't get you thong in a twist." Zane said.

"Excuse me?" Jo said.

The lights came back online. Jo took a quick glance around. No one seemed hurt. She walked down to Zane's panel.

"What happened?" Jo asked.

Zane shook his head. "We went offline."

"How?" Jo asked.

"I have no idea." Zane answered. He continued typing. "And we lost the upgrade as well."

Jo dropped her head. "Great. Thanks Zane. Figure out why this happened and fix this." She turned from his consol and headed for the door.

"Fargo, I need to check every single sector in Global. If you don't require my presence here." Jo said.

Fargo shook his head. Jo nodded and walked out of the door. She pulled out her phone and quickly reached her security staff. "All security staff, Global has just experienced brief moment of complete offline access. I want every lab, level, experiment, and GD staff member located and accounted for within the hour."

Jo ended the call and dialed Carter next.

"_Sheriff Carter."_ Jack said.

"Carter, it's Jo. GD just had a two minute blackout. We went completely offline." Jo informed.

"_It wasn't just GD, the entire town blacked out."_ Carter replied.

"Great." Jo sighed.

"_Do you want me to head over to GD and give you a hand?"_ Carter asked.

Jo shook her head. "No, I've got my staff securing ever level. But I'll call if I do need your help."

"_Okay, thanks for keeping me up to date, Jo." _Carter said.

"Yeah." Jo replied. She hung up and redialed again.

"_Director Fargo."_ Fargo said.

"Fargo the blackout didn't stop at GD. I just called Carter and he said the entire town blacked out." Jo explained.

On the other end Fargo groaned. _"That's just perfect."_

"Yeah, listen, make sure Zane stays on top of his work and fixes the problem." Jo said.

"_No arguments here."_ Fargo replied.

Jo hung up and put her phone into her pocket. She rounded a corner, starting her own pass through securing GD.

Jo stood in the main lobby of Global. An hour and a half had passed since the blackout. Jo had an account for almost everyone in GD. However her final team of staff had failed to report back half an hour ago and their remaining section of GD remained unchecked. Jo stood with Fargo and Allison, holding a digital schematic of GD.

"Broadson and James were heading to the animal research lab." Jo informed.

Fargo nodded. "Have you been able to reach anyone in those labs?"

Jo shook her head. "No, and I've ordered that entire level sealed and the computers are scanning for any viral bacteria's before I start evacuating the level's."

Allison's phone rang. "Doctor Blake?" She nodded. "Thank you. The levels clear."

Jo nodded and pulled out her phone. "Start evacuation."

"Have you called Carter?" Allison asked.

"Yeah, here." Carter called. He jogged up the stairs with Andy behind him. "What'd I miss?"

"Two of my staff members failed to meet their check in marker and twenty-five other GD staff members remain unaccounted." Jo explained.

Carter nodded. "Then the next step is investigating?"

Jo nodded. "I've got several men ready to go when I head down there."

"Chief Lupo, if I may?" Andy asked. "I find it is an unwise decision to make. AS I am an AI program, I should go and inspect the level, to reduce the chances of casualties."

Jo nodded. "Okay."

"I can have Andy's eyes adjusted to transmit whatever he see's to a consol outside the sealed sections." Fargo said.

"Great, let's get on it." Carter said.

Carter, Fargo, Jo, and Andy headed toward the elevator.


	3. Chapter 3

Outside the research lab, Fargo, Carter, and Jo looked over a portable consol. Andy was already inside the sealed sector, searching through the labs. On the screen, the labs looked in perfect shape. Nothing was broke or indicated that a blackout had ensued. However the main power had refused to come back online within the sector, but backup lights did come on.

"_There is still no sign of Global Dynamic workers in this sector, Sheriff."_ Andy said.

"Alright Andy. Move to the next sector." Carter said.

"_Copy that, Sheriff. Continuing to next sector."_ Andy said.

Fargo sighed. "This isn't right. Andy should have found some signs by now."

Jo pulled out her phone. "Zane, any chance you can get power down in this sector?"

"_Give me a minute." _Zane said.

Jo waited for a few seconds, allowing the time. One the consol the lights flickered on.

"_Okay, I got power back in the sector. And security cameras are up." _Zane said.

"Andy's still searching room by room; can you see what he's walking into?" Jo asked.

"_No problem…"_ Zane's voice trailed off.

"Zane?" Jo asked.

"_Pull Andy out. Get everyone out of there now!" _Zane ordered.

"Zane what's in there?"Jo asked.

"_I don't know but I'm seeing a massacre in lab fifteen."_ Zane explained.

Jo's head shot up. "Andy just walked into lab fifteen."

"_Pull your ass out of there Lupo!" _Zane yelled.

Jo pulled down her phone. "Get everyone out, now. Pull Andy out!"

"What's going on?" Carter asked.

"Zane got the power up in the labs. He can see into the labs already." Jo explained.

"_Sheriff, I believe I found something."_ Andy said.

They looked back at the consol. Andy entered the first section of lab fifteen. Jo nearly retched on reflex. The lab was covered in blood. The counters and equipment were a mess, covered in blood and tissue. Andy continued through the lab and the carnage continued. All that remained was an immense amount of blood, some scraps of tissue, and a pile of bones.

"Oh my god." Fargo said. He released the consol and rushed off.

"Alright, Andy fall back." Carter ordered.

"_Are you sure, Sheriff?"_ Andy asked.

"Yes, pull back now." Carter turned to Jo. "Start evacuating Global completely."

Jo nodded. She brought her phone back up. "Zane, drop what you're doing and evacuation GD."

"_Are you serious?" _Zane asked.

"Yes, now get out." Jo said. She hung up and redialed. "This is Chief Lupo I m ordering a complete evacuation of Global Dynamics, effective immediately. All security staff are to evacuate all staff and report to the lobby once evacuation is complete."

Andy opened the sealed doors manually and then sealed them. He turned to Carter. "I have successfully identified and located five missing staff members from Global Dynamics."

Carter closed his eyes. "Thanks Andy."

Jo lowered her head. Twenty seven GD workers massacred during a blackout.

"Jo." Carter said.

Jo looked up.

Carter's face was grave and serious. "We need to find out what's in there."

Jo nodded. "I'll ask Fargo to pull up every project that was underway in those labs. Security is evacuating GD as we speak. After that, I'll take an armed team into those labs and scout out myself."

Carter nodded. "I'm going with you."


	4. Chapter 4

It took twenty minutes to completely evacuate GD. Jo, Carter, and the remaining Security staff were gathered in the armory lab. They dawned their armored vests and loaded weapons. Jo tossed Carter a helmet of his own.

"Fargo's set up a temporary GD outside of…well…GD." Carter said.

Jo nodded. She looked down at the schematics of the level. "There's only one way into the labs. I'm thinking of leaving five men to stand guard out here while the rest of us check out the labs. What do you think?"

Jack looked up. "Sounds good, Jo."

"Everyone listen up." Jo called. "Deputy Andy had located and identified four of the twenty seven missing Global workers. They're dead. And chanced are, the remaining twenty three GD employees are as well."

"Our job is to enter the lab and stop whatever is in there." Carter finished.

"Deputy Andy will lead the scouting team. Then we'll continue searching through the labs one by one. However I need five volunteers to guard the doors to the labs." Jo explained.

Luckily five of her staff members volunteer.

Jo nodded. "Alright, I want an open line of communication. Understood?"

There were several nodding of heads.

"Let's go." Carter said.

The staff of security workers headed back for the labs. They moved in unison, finishing loading their weapons, and checking their equipment. When their reached the sealed portion of GD, Jo's five volunteers spread out, taking their guarding position.

"Com check." Jo said.

"Sheriff check." Carter said.

"_Command Central, check."_ Came a voice.

Jo's head snapped up. "Donovan?"

"_One and only"_ Zane answered.

"What the hell are you still doing inside GD?" Carter asked.

"I ordered an entire evacuation, Zane." Jo said

"_That you did, however I told Mr. Director that you'd asked me to stay behind and stay on the security cameras as your eyes from above. In all honesty, you need me up here."_ Zane explained.

Carter looked at Jo.

Jo shook her head." Zane, when I get to you, I'm going to taze your sorry ass."

Zane chuckled. _"Thanks for the warning Lupo."_

Jo pointed to one of her security members. "Zane I'm sending a guard. And if I don't get the chance, he'll taze your ass."

"_Copy that Lupo. You all set down there?"_ Zane asked.

"Affirmative." Jo answered.

"_Manual release overridden. Opening lab doors."_ Zane said.

"Once we're inside, seal the doors." Carter said.

"_Copy that."_ Zane said.

The lab doors hissed and slid apart. Andy stepped through first, searching around the lab. He signaled with his hand. Jo and Carter were the next few in, followed by the remaining team. They all held their weapons at the ready and started their move through the labs. The lab doors hissed closed behind them.

"_Lab doors closed and sealed."_ Zane said.

"Copy that. Keep an eye on the door n case something gets past us." Jo ordered.

"_Yeah boss."_ Zane mocked.

Jo sighed in frustration. "Carter, why haven't I killed him yet?"

"Um…because you're experiments with your magnificent restraint."Carter answered.

"_Nice cover."_ Zane laughed.

Jo ignored him and continued through the labs. Andy led the way into the next lab. Jo braced herself for the grotesque and horrific mutilation that waited within the lab. Carter moved behind Jo, covering her as they searched the labs.

"The scientists are here. Chief Lupo." Andy said.

Jo and Carter both walked to Andy's side, trying not to step in the blood. The bones were piled up on top of one another, but the blood was smeared throughout the entire lab, even leading into the next lab.

"Andy, can you tell which employees they are?" Carter asked.

Andy looked at the bones. "Perhaps Sheriff. I have Global employee's DNA programmed into my memory bank." Andy looked at the bones and blood. "However, the blood samples contain more than ten other GD workers."

"Thanks Andy." Carter said.

"Let's keep moving." Jo said.

The team moved to the next door. Andy stood at the door while the team spread around in security formation.

"Zane, what condition is lab sixteen in?" Jo asked.

"_It's about the same."_ Zane answered.

"Alright. We're heading in." Jo nodded to Andy.

Andy opened the lab doors and entered. He looked around for a moment. "It's clear."

Jo and Carter moved in next then followed the team. The lab was as Zane said. Blood covered the floor of the lab. It had long since dried. The bones of the bodies were piled in the corner, as they were in the last lab.

"Andy." Jo called.

"The number of bone presence indicated that there are seven bodies." Andy answered.

Jo looked to Carter. "Eleven down."

Carter nodded. "Sixteen left."

"_Sheriff, Lupo. I got movement two labs ahead of your position." _Zane said.

Jo signaled for the team to stop. "Can you identify it?"

"_N, it's avoiding all the cameras somehow. I'm pulling up thermal imaging, maybe I can catch its heat signature." _Zane answered.

"Andy, what are your sensors detecting?" Carter asked.

"I am detecting some sort of animal at least one hundred feet from our position." Andy replied.

"Zane?" Jo asked.

"_I've got on thermal imaging. It's moving in circles around the lab."_ Zane explained.

"How strong is the heat signature?" Jo asked.

"_It's big. I can't give you anything better than that Lupo."_ Zane explained.

"Thanks for the update." Jo replied. She looked to Carter. "What do you think?"

Carter shook his head. "I don't know. Is there any way, whatever is in there, can escape?"

"No." Jo shook her head. "I can have Zane lock that room down and activate GD defense protocol within the lab."

"Chief Lupo is correct, Sheriff. However there are still sixteen GD employees' that remain unaccounted for." Andy said. "I recommend that your team withdraw from the labs. I will go ahead and account the remaining workers."

"You sure Andy?" Carter asked.

Andy nodded, smiling. "Of course, Sheriff. My skeletal structure can withstand the force of a full grown African Elephant."

"Alright. We'll clear out before you head through" Carter said.

"Understood Sheriff. And perhaps you should ask Doctor Henry to examine the remains of the scientists?" Andy suggested.

Carter nodded. "We'll send another team in to bag them."

"Zane, we're pulling out." Jo said.

"_Copy that, Lupo. I'm opening the lab doors."_ Zane said.

Jo and Carter began retreating from the labs. The moved backwards through the labs, keeping their gaze on the lab doors in front of them. Andy remained inside the lab, keeping guard as the team pulled back. Once Jo and Carter slipped into the previous lab, Zane closed the doors and sealed them back up. They moved quickly through the labs, finally reaching the last door.

"Zane?" Jo asked.

The doors unlatched and hissed. They slid open. The five guards stood ready, aiming their weapons at the door. They lowered their weapons as the recon team exited the lab.

"I want a small team to recover the remains of the bodies." Jo ordered. "Zane, Carter and I are headed your way."

"_Looking forward to it."_ Zane replied.

Carter and Jo walked from the lab toward the computer room.


	5. Chapter 5

Zane was settled in the computer lab with his feet on the consol beside him. His laptop was on, sitting next to the screen he was using. One screen read the thermal sources from within the lab, while the other had the security footage. He glanced over his shoulder as the doors opened.

"Welcome to the party." Zane called.

"Some party." Carter replied.

"Zane, can you pull up Andy's ocular sightings?" Jo asked.

Zane turned and typed fast. A third screen consol activated by his feet. Andy was facing the doors.

"Andy are you ready?" Jo asked.

"_Affirmative, Chief Lupo."_ Andy replied.

"Open the doors, Zane." Carter said.

Zane moved quickly along the keyboard. "Doors opened."

They watched the screen as Andy entered the lab. Just as the last, the floor and walls were painted with blood. Andy walked through the lab. Bones were gathered in the corner of the lab near Andy.

"Andy can you estimate the bodies from the bones?" Carter asked.

"_Yes Sheriff. The number is nine. That concludes twenty members of GD employees located." _ Andy informed.

"And the remaining seven are in the next two labs." Zane stated.

Carter nudged Jo. "Has Fargo given you any leads yet?"

Jo shook her head. "I can make him work faster though." She walked away from the consoles.

Carter caught Zane smirk, but it was gone within second.

"What's wrong?" Carter asked.

"The second heat source. Is moving." Zane said.

Carter watched the thermal imaging. The larger of the two red dots was moving around fast. The dot seemed to be bouncing off the door. It moved around the room and charged the door.

"It's trying o escape." Carter said.

Jo spun around quickly. She jogged over to Zane and Carters sides. "Fargo hold on."

They watched the dot race around the room and bounce off the lab entrance. It moved with incredible speed back and forth around the room.

"Activate the defense system, Zane." Jo ordered.

"What?" Zane asked.

"Activate GD's internal defenses!" Jo ordered.

Zane typed quickly on the keys. "I can't. The defense system is still offline."

"You've got to be kidding me." Jo said.

"Can you reinforce the doors or something?" Carter asked.

Zane shook his head. "No, but the level's already locked down, it's not getting out."

"If it gets through that door, what's going to stop it from getting through the other doors?" Carter asked.

Jo sighed. "As if today couldn't get worse."

"_Sheriff, I'm detecting the structural integrity of the doors is weakening." _Andy said.

"Andy it's trying to break through the door." Carter explained.

"Door strength at sixty four percent. Damn it's strong!" Zane said.

"Don't get too excited over it, Zane." Jo warned.

"I'm not." Zane replied. He continued typing frantically on the keyboard.

The dot on the screen continued to bounce around the lab. It showed no sign of slowing down.

"Integrity dropping to twenty two percent." Zane said.

"Andy, do let it escape." Carter ordered.

"Door integrity compromised. It's out." Zane said. He looked to Andy's optical signature.

Andy was staring at the hole in the door, but they couldn't see anything come through the hole. The suddenly Andy was jerked forward into the wall.

"Andy!" Carter yelled.

The dot moved past Andy to the next door.

"Damn, it's breaking through the doors." Zane said.

"If it gets out of those labs, there's nothing between it and the town." Carter said. He glanced to Jo, but found her gone. Carter looked around the room. "Jo?"

Zane looked around. Jo and his guard were both gone. Zane looked back at the screen. "Oh hell no."

"What?" Carter asked.

Zane pointed to the screen. "What are the chances that that's Jo?"

"Jo what are you thinking?" Carter demanded.

"_Something has to keep it from getting out of GD, Carter." _Jo answered.

"It's through the doors, Carter." Zane said.

"Alright, Jo, Zane says in through the next door. If you're going to do something you'd better get a move on." Carter said.

"_Copy that."_ Jo said.

Carter and Zane watched the screen. Five heat signatures moved fast through the halls toward the sealed level. The single dot continued ramming it way through the doors of the lab. Andy remained silent, offline. Jo and her team moved fast toward the sealed lab. Carter watched as they set up a line of fire formation near the door. The dot continued bouncing around the door.

"_We're in position." _Jo said.

"Integrity down to ten point seven percent, Lupo. Be ready." Zane warned.

"_Copy that."_ Jo said.

The red dot broke out of the sealed lab. The alarm starting ringing out through Global. The lights dimmed, flashing yellow.

"_Carter what's going on inside?" _Fargo asked.

"Hold on Fargo." Carter explained.

The echo of ammunitions fire echoed through their comms. On the screen the larger dot raced around the room. It lunged at one o f the dots. It faded into the background.

"Oh my god." Zane said.

The ammunitions fire continued. Then a few faint cried slipped through. Carter could hear Jo giving an order, but it was over ridden with ammunitions to fully understand what she was saying. Meanwhile the dots continued to fade away.

"Jo pull out!" Carter ordered.

There were only two dots left in the hallway. Carter didn't know if it was Jo or not, but he watched as the larger dot pounced on the smaller one. Thankfully the smaller one managed to squeeze away. The large dot moved in circles around the smaller dot. Then it moved for the kill.

Suddenly the screens went completely static and a power explosion echoed through the empty halls. Zane and Carter quickly covered their ears as the noise reached them.

"What the hell was that?" Zane demanded.

Carter looked at the screens. "Where'd they go?"

Zane turned back to the computers. He typed frantically. "I have no idea. The internal cameras are fried."

Carter turned from the computers. "Jo? Jo do you copy?"

There was no answer.

Carter looked toward Zane. Zane met his gaze. Even though Carter could tell he was trying to hide it, Zane looked concerned.

"Jo?" Carter demanded. When there was no answer, Carter ran out the door with Zane on his trail. They hurried through the halls of GD, cautiously. However they didn't see anything as they moved through the halls.

As they reached the secured area, the air was thick with smoke. Carter and Zane covered their mouths and entered the smoke fill hall.

"Jo?" Carter called.

There was a cough within the smoke. "Carter."

"Hang on Jo." Carter called.

The smoke was thick, but thankfully GD's air system was filtering it out of the building. Zane ducked to the ground, searching for anything moving. Then he saw someone on their hands and knees twenty feet from him. He heard another cough, realizing it was Jo.

"Over here." Zane called. He headed to Jo's side.

Jo coughed as the smoke chocked her lungs. She looked up to find Zane coming to her side through the smoke. He knelt beside her.

"Are you okay?" Zane asked.

Despite the smoke, Jo nodded. "Yeah."

Zane took her arm. "Let's get you out of here." Jo rose with Zane's help. Carter came to them and helped them through the smoke.


	6. Chapter 6

GD's personal returned to the building as soon as Carter called them back. Repair crews were working on the structure of the building with medical teams worked to gather the bodies from the labs. Fargo sent a team into the labs to retrieve Andy and begin working on him as well.

Jo, Zane, and Carter sat in the Infirmary under Allison's ordered. They each held their own oxygen mask over their face. Allison stood nearby, checking results of their smoke inhalation levels.

"Did anyone else make it?" Jo asked.

Carter shook his head. "First thing Henry told me before Allison shipped us off."

Jo lowered her head.

"Did you get a look at what it was, Lupo?" Zane asked.

"Somewhat. When it broke through the doors GD's alarm kicked in and shut the lights on us. We were firing in the dark." Jo explained.

"But you managed to do…whatever the hell you did in there." Carter said.

"Flash grenade." Jo answered.

Carter's brows shot up. "You used a Flash grenade inside Global?"

Jo nodded.

"That's probably what saved her life." Allison piped up.

"what's the damage doc?" Zane asked.

"You and Carter are clear. Jo I'm going to have you stay for at least another hour." Allison answered.

Jo nodded solemnly. Carter and Zane lowered their masks.

Carter walked to Jo's side. "I'll let you know what we find."

Jo nodded again. "Thanks Carter."

Carter walked back to the hallway where repairs were nearly completed. Henry and his team had taken the bodies, most likely to the Medical Lab for autopsy. Fargo was standing in the hallways, overseeing the repairs.

"Fargo, anything new?" Carter asked.

Fargo turned. "Hey Carter. Um, Henry's team took the remains in for autopsy about ten minutes ago. And as you can see, repairs are almost complete."

Carter nodded. "I do see."

"Has Zane been released?" Fargo asked.

"Yeah, he's probably working on the security system now." Carter answered.

Fargo nodded. "Good. Good."

Carter noticed Fargo's rigged posture. Carter had seen it many times right before Fargo burst into a panic. "What's wrong Fargo?"

"Wrong? What could be wrong? I mean, we have an experiment on the loose that's killed over thirty people in the past three hours and now we have no idea where it is! Why would anything be wrong?" Fargo demanded. He paused to take several deep breaths.

"Fargo, relax, we'll catch it."

"How can we catch it if we don't even know what _it_ is?" Fargo asked.

"Director, Sheriff, you should see this." Someone called.

Fargo turned around completely. Carter glanced over Fargo's shoulder. Someone was waving them over near the corner. Fargo and Carter walked down the hall to the calling worker. The worker was standing by the vent systems. The vent cover was still on the wall, only it was ripped open.

Carter knelt on the ground in front of the vent. "Well, I guess we know where it went."

"The vents lead all through GD." Fargo said.

Carter looked into the vents. "I hate enclosed spaces."

"Well then I can save you the trouble, Sheriff." Zane called as he walked down the hall.

"Did you get GD security back online?" Fargo asked.

Zane nodded. "Yeah. Everything's running as it should be. And I also managed to locate where this…thing left."

Zane handed Carter the datapad. On the screen was an image of an outside GD vent, ripping open.

Carter sighed in frustration. "It's loose in Eureka somewhere."

Fargo's eyes grew. "Oh just great."

"We need to put the town on alert." Carter said rising to his feet. "And get someone in to help us out."

Fargo nodded. "I can take care of the second task, Carter but you should be the one to handle the first one."


	7. Chapter 7

The citizens of Eureka managed to all seat in the Auditorium of Tesla High School. Carter stood on the stage accompanied by Henry and Fargo. Henry stood first and approached the podium. He called the hall to order, silencing everyone on the auditorium.

"Ladies and gentlemen, if I may have your attention. Several hours ago, I received notification from Director Fargo and Sheriff Carter that an unknown animal escaped from Global Dynamics." Henry explained.

The crowd immediately burst into a buzz filled with questions.

"Now at this time, no one has been able to identify what kind of creature it is." Henry explained.

Jack rose from his chair and took over the explanations. "Um as a safety precaution, Mayor Deacon and I have agreed that a curfew should be in place. All children under the age of eighteen must be with an adult at all times if not in school. After sunset, I advice against going outdoors. If you must, travel in groups, and carry something for defense.

"I don't want to alarm anyone here, but until we know what we're dealing with, the curfew will be in effect starting today." Carter finished.

Henry retook the podium. "Thank you Sheriff. Director Fargo has also informed me that an expert is on their way to Eureka to assist in this situation."

A man raised his hand.

"Yes?" Henry asked.

"Will this effect research at GD, or anywhere?" he asked.

Henry shook his head. "No. At this moment, I see no reason to halt research at GD, nor closed down any businesses within Eureka. I do however stress that everyone be extremely cautious in your daily routines. That is all."

The town of scientist rose from their chairs and started dispersing from the auditorium. Carter walked off the stage toward Allison and Kevin. Jenna was in her mother's arms asleep.

"Jack, did you have to give us kids an escort?" Kevin asked.

"Sorry Kevin. But my jobs to keep people safe. Even little people." Jack replied.

Kevin's brow arched. "Who're you calling little?"

Allison laughed.

Jo joined the small group. "Well, that was a thrilling meeting."

Jack nodded. "Yeah and what's better, Fargo's expert should be here tomorrow morning."

"Are you going to look for it?" Kevin asked.

Allison shifted her eyes back to Carter.

Carter paused. "At some point, we will. And the sooner we do, the sooner I can give you kids back your freedom."

Kevin smiled.

Jo turned back to Carter. "I'm heading home, do you need a ride?"

Carter shook his head. "Nah, I have my car. I'll see you home."

Jo nodded. She looked to Allison. "Night."

"Goodnight Jo." Allison replied.

Carter looked back to Allison. "So, can I offer an escort home?"

Kevin rolled his eyes and Allison laughed. "I see you're taking advantage of this situation, Jack."

"Well, you know me." Jack said.

"Yes. I think we'd all appreciate and escort home." Allison answered.

"Hey, can I ride in your car, Jack?" Kevin asked.

Carter and Kevin were in the car when Allison pulled up. Carter and Kevin climbed out as Allison turned off her car. She stepped out of her car and picked up Jenna.

"Hey, thought we'd lost you back there." Carter joked.

Allison smirked. "Oh, well had I known we were racing, you would've given me a ticket."

"Yeah, mom's driving should be illegal." Kevin said.

"Kevin, could you get Jenna's bag from the car?" Allison asked.

Kevin rolled his eyes but went for the bag anyways. Allison and Carter headed toward the door.

"Here, I'll take her." Carter said.

"You sure?" Allison asked.

Carter nodded. "Yeah."

Allison smiled and carefully placed Jenna into Carter's arms. Allison unlocked the front door. She opened the door and entered her house. Carter followed with a sleeping Jenna. Allison closed the door partially for Kevin.

"Someone needs to go to bed." Allison said. She took Jenna from Carter. "Make yourself comfortable."

Carter smiled as Allison walked upstairs with Jenna in her arms. Carter looked around the house. He hadn't been inside Allison's alternate house yet, but everything looked the same. Carter glanced at the door, still partially opened. Carter frowned and walked to the door. He stepped onto the front steps, looking for Kevin.

"Kevin!" Carter called. But he could see him.

Then Kevin's face appeared in Allison's car. He looked scared. "Carter, watch out!"

Carter pulled out his gun and slowly walked out toward the car. He grabbed the door handle and opened the door. "Where is it?"

Kevin pointed to his left.

Carter followed Kevin's arm. Then in the blackness, Jack saw a pair of bright yellow eyes. "Kevin, when I say so, run for the house."

Kevin nodded.

Carter aimed his gun. "Now!" As he watched Kevin run behind him, he fired several shots and followed Kevin to the house.

They ran through the front door and slammed it shut. Jack locked the door and stepped back. After the initial shock had worn off, Jack heard Jenna crying. Allison ran down the steps with Jenna in her arms.

"What the hell was that?" Allison asked.

"Kevin saw it outside." Jack answered.

"Oh my god." Allison gasped. She looked to Kevin, who still looked shook up. "Are you two alright?"

Kevin nodded. "Yeah. But I'm glad for the curfew now."

Kevin walked from his mom up the stairs.

Carter looked to Allison. "You know it's bad when your kids want the curfew."

Allison nodded. She gently rocked Jenna, trying o calm her down.

Carter turned and headed for the door.

"You're not going back out there, Carter." Allison said.

Carter looked back. "Well I…I still have to get home."

"Carter you don't know it that thing's still out there." Allison replied.

"I have my gun." Carter stated.

"Carter, just…stay. Please." Allison urged.

Carter nodded. "Okay."

"Thank you." Allison said.

"I think you might be taking advantage of this situation." Carter said.

Allison laughed. "Maybe a little."

Carter smiled. "I'm going to give Jo a call and let her know what happened."

Jo pulled up to the bunker. Zoe's car was already parked near the door, along with someone else's car. Jo sighed, mentally preparing herself to see Zane for the umpteenth time today. Jo cut her engine and climbed out of her car. As she walked to the bunker door, Jo kept her ears and eyes one her surroundings.

Once Jo was inside the bunker, she relaxed and hoped the stairs to the front door. S.A.R.A.H. opened the door for Jo before she asked.

"_Welcome home Jo." _S.A.R.A.H. said.

"Hey Sarah." Jo said. She hung her coat up and walked into the living room.

Zane was sitting on the couch, unmoving. His head was leaning against the back of the couch, asleep. As Jo walked around the couch, she found Zoe asleep in his lap. If it hadn't been Zane, Jo would've let them sleep.

Jo gently shook Zoe's shoulder. She woke quickly, but groggily. "Jo?"

"Hey Zoe." Jo said.

"Did you just get home?" Zoe asked.

"Yeah, I came straight from the town meeting." Jo explained.

Zoe frowned. "What meeting?"

Before Jo could answer her phone rang. Jo reached into her pocket. She pointed to Zane. "Wake him up so I don't have to."

Zoe nodded. She shook Zane awake. Which wasn't very hard.

"What's up?" Zane asked, rubbing his eyes.

"There was a town meeting we missed." Zoe explained.

"Oh damn that's right." Zane said. He rose from the couch.

"Lupo." Jo said.

"_Jo, it's Carter." _Jack said.

"Hey, you heading back?" Jo asked.

"_Not tonight. Kevin and I saw it near Allison's place. I'm staying here tonight."_ Jack explained.

Jo turned away from Zoe and Zane. "Carter, you're not too far from here. Do you think it could come around here?"

"_I'd bet on it. Keep Zoe inside until morning."_ Jack ordered.

"And Zane?" Jo asked in a hushed tone.

"_Zane's at the house?"_ Jack yelled.

Jo nodded. "Yeah. I came back to find them asleep on the couch."

Carter sighed on the other end. _"God I wished I'd never say this. Keep him there until morning."_

Jo winced. "Got it."

"_Good luck Jo." _Carter said.

Jo hung up her phone.

"I better head out." Zane head. He walked past Jo toward the door.

"You're not going anywhere." Jo ordered.

Zane turned. "Excuse me?"

"You're not leaving, not now." Jo stated.

"Why?" Zoe asked.

"Carter saw the…creature near Allison's. There's a chance it could come this way at some point. And since you both missed the town meeting, you have no idea what's going on." Jo explained.

"Well, I know most of it."Zane stated.

Jo glared at Zane. "My point is, it's not safe, so you'll stay the night here."

Zane shrugged and dropped his jacket. "Cool." He walked past Jo back over to Zoe.

Jo took a deep breath. "You're a dead man, Jack."


	8. Chapter 8

The next morning found Jo and Carter in the infirmary at GD with Henry and Fargo. Henry had one of the bodies placed on the exam table. The bones had been cleaned of the blood and laid out in the pattern of a human body.

"I don't need to tell you the cause of death." Henry said.

"No, we pretty much know it wasn't natural causes." Carter replied.

Henry nodded. He picked up one of the bone and pointed to a divot in the bone. "You see that?"

Jo nodded. "Teeth marks."

Henry nodded. "Exactly. However the indentations vary at different angles. I've managed to identify at least five different depths."

"Meaning what?" Jack asked.

"It means that this beast is of feline or canine origins." Came a voice.

Everyone turned to the door. A tall man entered the lab. He wore khaki shorts that sunk beneath his knees. A green shirt was visible beneath his matching khaki vest. Is usual bald head was covered with a straw hat.

"Taggert!" Jack cried.

"Jack!" Taggert replied.

Jack and tag rushed to each other. They gave each other a big bear hug, laughing at one another.

"What are you doing here?" Jack asked.

"Well, Fargo here called and said you have an animal problem. So I hopped the first flight from down under and came up here." Tag explained.

Jack nodded." Well it's great to see you."

Taggert nodded. "Just like old times, eh?"

Jack chuckled. "Yeah."

Tag looked around. "Doctor Deacon."

"Welcome back Jim." Henry said.

"Fargo." Tag said.

"Hey Taggert." Fargo replied.

Taggert turned Jo's way. He wink. "Jo."

"Hey Tag." Jo said.

"So uh…what about this animal?" Jack asked.

"Ah, yes." Taggert said. He walked over to the table and looked at the bone. "Hmm…yes the beast you're looking for is of feline origins."

"How can you tell?"

"May I?" Tag asked.

Henry nodded and passed him the bone. "Do you see those little notches before the last indent?"

Jack nodded. "Yeah."

"Feline's have only two premolars. Canine's have three." Jim explained.

"So we're looking for a large cat." Jack said.

"Pretty much, yeah." Tag nodded.

Jack nodded. "Thanks Taggert. Henry can you run a test on the blood to identify what kind of cat we're dealing with?"

"I'll get on that." Henry said. He turned form the table.

"How many victims were counted?" Tag asked.

"Uh…thirty one." Jack answered.

Tag's eyebrows shot up. "That's a lot a meat for a feline. Larger cats can eat about twenty five percent of their body weight, but the mass of these bodies would mean that this cat would be huge!"

"Yeah and I can say that it's not huge." Jack said.

"Ditto." Jo replied.

Jack turned to Fargo. "Did you find anything in the database?"

Fargo looked to Jack. "Oh. Yeah, um…they weren't any animal tests going on in the past three months."

Jack sighed. "So whatever happened wasn't supposed to happen."

"Murphy's law." Tag said.

"Yeah, no kidding." Jack replied.

"Do you have a list of ongoing experiments?" Jo asked.

Fargo nodded. "Yep, right here." He passed her the datapad.

"Nothing looks out of the ordinary." Jo said. Suddenly her phone rang. Jo fished her phone out of her pocket. "Lupo?"

Carter watched as Jo glanced at him.

"I'll be right." Jo said. She hung up her phone. "A vial of experimental growth hormones is missing from one of the labs."

Carter frowned. "Is the lab one that was sealed?"

Jo shook her head. "No, this lab's one floor above the others. Let me know what Tag and Henry find out."

Carter nodded. Jo walked out of the lab.

"Jo seems a little down in the dumps." Tag said.

Carter turned. "Yeah, she has been since Founder's Day."

Tag whistled, "That long eh. Zane got a new way to mess with her then?"

"Not in the way you'd think." Carter answered.

Fargo's phone rang. "Director Fargo."

Carter watched as Fargo left the lab, leaving him and Tag alone. "You know she'd kill us for talking about her."

Tag nodded. "Yeah she would…but what's life without a little danger."

Carter laughed.

"So, what's Zane been doin' to Jo?" Tag asked.

Carter thought for a moment. He couldn't tell what had really happened, so Carter thought up the next best thing. "Well, nothing actually. But he's driving me nuts dating my daughter."

"Well no wonder Jo's down in the dumps, she's depressed." Tag said.

"I could've told you that one." Carter said.

"You know I told Jo that with the way she was treating Zane, she was bound to like him." Tag said.

Carter's brows shot up. "Really?"

"Yeah, why do think she'd lock him up while she was your deputy all the time?" Tag said.

"Huh, that…that does make since actually." Jack replied.

Tag nodded. "Yeah. But poor sheila's too stubborn for her own good."

"You got that right, Taggert." Jack said.

"Jack, Taggert." Henry called.

Carter and tag walked to Henry's side. Henry was sitting at the computer running his tests.

"What's going on Henry?" Jack asked.

"I was running the test like you asked, and the computer ran into non human DNA." Henry explained.

"What kind of DNA is it?" Jack asked.

Henry shrugged. "That's the thing, it can't recognize it. It' detecting a strong concentration of a hormone within the DNA."

Carter turned to Tag. "Have you ever seen a DNA strand with growth hormones added to it?"

"Maybe once or twice." Tag answered. "What are you thinkin'?"

"Jo said that a lab was missing a vial of growth hormones from their vault." Carter explained. "Could that have mutated this cat DNA?"

"IT's possible." Tag said.

Henry nodded. "Possible yeah, but it would take a heavy concentration to cause any cats metabolism to consume twenty seven fully grown adults."

"And an entire stash of test animals." Carter mentioned. "But all animals eat large amounts of food. Bears do it before hibernating. Caterpillars do it before they change into butterflies."

"Jack has a point, here. If this feline got its paws on any level on growth hormones, it would jumpstart its metabolism in order to adjust to the changes." Tag explained.

Carter's phone rang. "Carter?"

"_Jack, it's Lupo. I just finished talking with one of the scientist." _Jo explained.

"The ones who created the growth hormones?" Carter asked.

"_Yep. It seems that Doctor Hills had an argument with one Doctor Lucian about using his hormone in Lucian's experiments. Guess where Doctor Lucian lab was located in?"_ Jo asked.

"Lab seventeen?" Carter asked.

"_Good guess. Doctor Lucian is also one of the missing scientists from the blackout."_ Jo finished.

"What are the chances that Lucian stole the vial?" Carter asked.

"_Fairly high, that's why I'm bringing over a sample for Henry to test." _Jo informed.

"Great job Jo." Carter said. He hung up. "Jo's bringing over a vial of growth hormones for you to compare."

"Great." Henry said.

"Hey is there any way to tell what breed this cat was before the hormone was added?" Jack asked.

"We were just discussing that." Henry said.

"GD has the DNA profiles of all their test animals. If this hormone matches the one here, then Henry might be able to removes the hormones from the DNA strand for identification." Tag explained.

Carter nodded. "And how long do you think that will take?"

Henry shrugged. "A few hours, at most."

"Let me know the results." Jack said. He turned and left the lab. "We still need a way of tracking this thing."


	9. Chapter 9

"You do know that I have other priorities, Sheriff, without taking on this project." Zane said. He was sitting at his desk in his lab, working on something Carter didn't care for.

"Zane at the moment, this one is more important." Carter said.

"That's what everyone else said about my pile of projects." Zane replied. He walked around his desk to the next one.

Carter followed him. "Zane this could save lives."

"So can the others." Zane said.

"In the long run yeah, but I'm talking about now." Carter said.

Zane stopped. "You've got my attention."

"If you can create a scanner specifically set for the animals DNA, then we have a way of tracking it. If we know where it is, we can capture or kill it." Carter explained.

Zane set his datapad down. He nodded. "Okay. But I would need a sample that hasn't been degraded by other tests in order for the scanner to work."

"Chances are Henry might have one. Or even Andy." Carter said.

"How big are we talking?" Zane asked.

Carter's brows rose. "Is size an issue?"

Zane shrugged. "Not really. I can probably get it to pocket size. Just curious."

"Can you do it?"

"Sure. Come back in a few hours, I should have a few designs and a prototype by then." Zane said.

"Great, thanks Zane." Carter said. His phone rang.

"Sure thing." Zane said. He tossed his datapad to the side and began his new project.

"Henry, what news?" Carter asked.

"_Jack, the sample Jo gave me is a match to DNA I found on the bodies."_ Henry explained.

"Great. I've got Zane working on a way to track this thing. Send him a sample of the DNA." Jack said.

"_You got it."_ Henry replied.

"Thanks Henry." Jack said. He closed his phone.

Several hours later found many people in Zane's lab. On Zane's desk was an assortment of sizable trackers. Several were wrist wraps, others were datapads.

"You got all these done in a few hours?" Carter asked.

Zane smirked. "Yeah, that wasn't too bad actually. Most of them, all I had to do was create a program and upload it. Like the datapads. But some of them were a little more difficult to master."

"Do they work?" Fargo asked.

"To the best of my ability. But if it doesn't work, I'll give a personal apology."

Fargo glared at Zane.

"Which ones your favorite?" Jo asked.

Zane reached into his pocket and pulled out his keys. "Same program but a lot smaller. Also a pain in the ass to make."

"What about for the business?" Allison asked.

"I uploaded the program I used for the pads into their systems. Even S.A.R.A.H." Zane explained.

"Good work, Zane." Carter said.

Zane nodded. "Take your pick."

short, yeah. but the enxt chapters better...promise


	10. Chapter 10

Jo walked into Café Diem after evening service at the First Church of Eureka. The Café was still fairly crowded. Tag was standing in the far end of the Café, regaling the folk of his many adventures. He offered Jo a smile, which Jo returned. But that would soon change once the sun went down. The entire town was stiff in a panic over the creature that was still roaming the area around the town.

Jo managed to find a free table in the back near the window. She weaved through the crowded tables, catching bits of conversations, and Taggert's tale. Most all of which pertaining to the creature that was still about. Truth be told, Jo was concerned about it too.

There had been no leads over the weekend of the beast whereabouts. Tag and Jack had set out several times in search for the creature, but each time they came up empty. But there also hadn't been any more fatalities either, thanks to Zane's tracker. Zane's tracker was incredibly accurate, so no one could understand how it was still on the loose in Eureka.

"What can I for you this fine evening, Jo?" Vincent said.

Jo turned quickly. She hadn't heard Vincent come up. "Um…I guess a Vincespresso for the moment. Soy cream."

Vincent nodded. "You got it. Oh um…can I…can I ask about…you know…the beast?"

"Um…I guess?" Jo answered. "But we're not any closer to finding it yet, Vince."

"Oh okay then." Vincent replied. He turned and headed back to the kitchen.

Jo watched Vince go, but then her eyes wondered around the café. Despite the crowds, Jo noticed that most occupants were couples. Single and groups were scattered throughout the entire café. She watched how the girls would cling to the arms of their boyfriends as they listened to Taggert.

Then at the counter near Vincent, Jo saw Zoe leaning over the counter near Zane. Jo turned her head quickly and tried to drown out the thoughts by looking out the window. She was sick of pretending she was okay with the two of them.

The sun was setting fast. In a few minutes, the entire contents of Café Diem would start to leave for home, herself included. Jo looked at the keychain tracker. Zane had only made two of them, keeping one for himself. Jo hadn't wanted to wear a wrist band or carry one in her pocket. This one was her safest bet. She shook her head, they needed a lead soon.

"One Vincespresso with soy cream."

Jo turned. Zane stood near her table, holding two cups of coffee. He held out one of the cups toward her.

"Are you picking up extra hours here?" Jo asked.

Zane chuckled. "Nice one. Actually, Lucas came back to town today."

Jo looked over at the counter again. Lucas had taken Zane's seat and was now conversing with Zoe. "So you're over here because?"

"I figured they needed some privacy." Zane said.

"And you couldn't find another place?" Jo replied.

Zane smiled. "I figured this would be prime seating for Taggert's stories, but I'm getting a very passive aggressive vibe. And I even brought you coffee."

"Could it be that Zoe asked you to?" Jo stated.

Zane leaned in slightly. "I volunteered."

Jo couldn't think of anything else to say.

"But I guess if you don't want me around I can leave." Zane said. He turned to leave.

"Pull up a seat." Jo said. She took a quick sip of her coffee.

Zane smiled and sat down in the chair across from Jo. "Thank you. And by the way, you look nice."

Jo looked down at her clothes. She'd completely forgotten what she was wearing. Her light purple dress was strapless, which was why she carried a black shawl around her shoulders. Her skirt barely reached her knees.

"Evening service." Jo answered.

Zane nodded. "I figured. You don't usually look this hot in pants. Not that you don't look hot in pants, it's just your legs make you look a lot hotter"

Jo smirked and looked away. For a few moments she got lost in Taggert's tale, but then she caught some sort of reflection. Jo turned around, looking at the counter of the Café. It was Zoe and Lucas. Zoe was kissing Lucas! Jo couldn't help but drop her jaw.

"What is it?" Zane asked. He looked over Jo.

Jo turned around fast enough to watch the color drain form Zane's face. He looked sick, and crushed. Zane lowered his head, shaking it.

"My luck keeps getting better." Zane said. He rose from his chair and headed toward the door.

"Zane." Jo called. She rose and followed him. She caught Zoe look up.

Jo walked outside. She wrapped her shawl around her shoulders tighter. She followed Zane down the sidewalk toward his car.

"Zane." Jo called.

"Let it go Lupo." Zane replied.

Zoe rushed past Jo. "Zane wait."

Zane stopped turning to Zoe. Lucas walked past Jo, but didn't get too close to the arguing couple. Jo looked around. The streetlights were on. They were standing in the open in the dark. Even if they were in a small group, it wasn't safe to be outside.

Suddenly a rhythmic beeping echoed through the air. Zane froze completely. Jo watched his facial expression. They had to get back inside, now! Just as Jo tried to tell the others she saw something. It was behind Zane and Zoe, down the street. Jo caught sight of something. It was large, crouching low to the ground, with bright yellow eyes.

"Get inside, now!" Jo yelled. She burst from her place on the sidewalk. She pushed past Lucas and ran between the creature and them.

"What is it?" Zoe asked. She turned toward the direction Jo was looking.

"Get back to the Café!" Jo ordered.

Zane pushed Zoe toward the café. He started to turn, but he noticed that Jo was moving. He backtracked and grabbed Jo's arm. "Come on."

Jo turned with Zane and made a run for the Café. Lucas and Zoe slipped into the café in front of them. Then from behind, Jo heard a loud roar. Jo looked over her shoulder. A large cat charged toward them down the sidewalk. It resembled a cougar, only bigger. It had dark stripes along its body, but they were the wrong coloring to be any kind of tiger. But the look in its eyes matched every animals hunger look.

The cat charged down the sidewalk toward them. Then it leapt into the air. Jo stopped running and pulled Zane to the ground. The cat leapt over them and landed at the café doors, blocking their escape. The cat looked at the café and snarled.

Jo stood quickly. "Vince sealed the café!" Jo pulled out her pistol from her holster hidden beneath her dress. She quickly aimed at the cat and fired.

The cat jerked from the impact and turned toward Jo. In snarled viciously and started walking toward them. Jo started walking backwards, still holding her gun up.

"Zane, where's your car?" Jo asked.

"Behind us." Zane answered. He stepped with Jo backwards.

"I want you to get into your car and get out away." Jo ordered.

"What about you?" Zane asked.

Jo shook her head. "Don't worry about me. Go!" She opened fire on the cat, moving out into the street.

The cat snarled at her and leapt out of the path of the bullets. Jo quickly emptied her clip. Her spare clips were in her purse, which she'd left in the Café. The cat took a step toward Jo. Jo took a step back from the cat. She wasn't safe in the open with the cat.

The cat charged her. Jo dove to the ground and rolled under a nearby car. She rolled form the edges as the cat reached under the car with his large claws, scratching for Jo. It moved around the car, continuously reaching for Jo. Jo moved as far from the cats reach as she could without leaving the safety of the car.

Suddenly someone slammed on their horn. The cat turned and snarled at the sound. It leapt away from the oncoming car. Jo watched as a car came speeding toward her.

Suddenly it swerved into the place backwards. The rear of the car touched the car Jo was under, angling itself. The passenger door opened, leaving enough space between the cars for Jo to slip out.

"Get in." Zane ordered.

Jo wasted no time in rolling from beneath the car. She managed to climb to her knees. Suddenly she heard a thump from above her. The cat stood on the roof of the car she'd been beneath. It snarled at her, swiping its claws at Jo. Jo managed to jump into Zane's car and slammed the door, but not before she felt its claws ripped her upper arm. Jo grabbed her arm to contain the bleeding.

Zane slammed his foot on the gas and swerved his car out of the parking lot. Jo held onto the door to keep from flying out of her seat. Zane's car swerved around, facing the other car. The cat jumped off the roof of the car and onto the ground.

"What are you doing?" Jo asked.

"This." Zane said. He flipped on his high beams.

The cat's eyes grew bright with the light. It snarled at the intensity of the light. Then the cat jerked to the side. It turned from Zane's car and snarled away from them. Jo looked out her window. Carter was driving up in his jeep. Taggert was leaning out the window pointing a gun at the car. But the cat had had enough. It turned and ran into the darkness.

Jack climbed out of his jeep and ran to Zane's car. He opened Jo's door in a hurry. "You two alright?"

"Yeah. I think." Zane answered.

Jo stepped out of the car. "Why'd it leave?"

"Probably cause it wasn't getting' an easy meal. Course when you try to eat Jo, you're gonna lose." Taggert said.

Jo gave Taggert a small smile.

Tag motioned to her arm. "You okay?"

Jo glanced at her arm and nodded. "Yeah. It's not too bad."

Zane climbed out of his car. "Vincent probably has a first aid kit."

"Yeah I'll look into that." Jo said.

Zane looked to Taggert. "What'd you hit it with?"

Taggert held up a small device. "Tracker. This little bugger's not getting' away again."

"Is everyone else alright?" Jack asked.

"Yeah they're all locked up in the Café." Zane said pointing over his shoulder.

Carter looked to the café. "Okay, Jo I need you to get everyone out and on their way home."

"What if it comes back?" Zane asked.

"Shouldn't be a problem. Its learned there's no easy prey here." Taggert said.

Jo shook her head. "I'm not too sure about that. This isn't like any big cat I've ever seen."

"That's cause it isn't a big cat." Carter answered. "At least…not originally."

"What are you talking about?" Zane asked.

"Apparently this feline was given a whole lot of growth hormones. Originally this was an ordinary domesticated house cat." Taggert explained.

"You're kidding. Did you see the size of that cat?" Zane explained.

"What are you planning, Carter?" Jo asked.

"Taggert and I are getting rid of this thing tonight." Jack answered.

"You guys are going after it now? In the dark?" Zane asked.

"No way, that's too dangerous. No it' comin' to us." Tagger explained.


	11. Chapter 11

Jack and Taggert stood in the animal lab that Taggert used to work in. Taggert was working at the computer consol while Jack was standing inside the larger kennel. Jack walked out of the kennel toward Taggert.

"How's it coming?" Jack asked.

"Almost finished. By the time that cat knows what's goin' it'll be too late." Taggert laughed.

"And you're sure this will hold him?" Jack asked.

Taggert shrugged. "Well, yeah. I mean I can't say for sure."

"Taggert." Jack groaned.

"That field can hold back a full grown elephant." Taggert explained.

"So could Andy. Did you see what that cat did to him? And how are we even going to bring this thing to us?" Jack asked.

Before Taggert could inquire, Jack's phone rang. "Yeah Sheriff Carter?"

"_Carter everyone's returned home and barricaded themselves inside. I sent Allison over to S..H.'s with Zoe."_ Jo explained.

"Great are you heading over there now?" Jack asked.

"_No, Zane and I are heading to GD." _ Jo explained.

"No, Jo get to the house." Jack ordered.

There was a shift on Jo's end. Zane's voice came through. _"Yeah that's a problem. Despite what Taggert said, the cat came back. So you guys better have something ready."_

"_It's following us Carter."_ Jo finished.

Jack looked to Taggert. They shared the stunned information. "Alright, keep heading this way, Taggert's almost finished."

"_Well he better hurry cause we're at the gates."_ Zane said. The call ended.

Jack looked up at Taggert. "Taggert you got finish that now!" He burst from the lab and ran into the hall.


	12. Chapter 12

Zane's car swerved to the right sharply as he slammed on the brakes. The car skid sideways up against the curb. Zane cut the engine and jumped out of his car. Jo burst from the door. She'd managed to have her duffle bag carrying extra clothes in her car. She'd changed into a pair of jeans and a black tank top. Her arm was bandaged up to the best of her ability. Jo slammed the magazine into her gun. She tossed Zane the second weapon and ran towards the doors. Both their scanners were beeping loudly.

Zane opened the door and lightly pushed Jo through. He closed the door behind them, catching a glimpse of the cat leaping over her car. He turned and ran to catch up with Jo.

"Here it comes." Zane said.

Jo glanced behind them.

They ran through the front lobby toward the elevator. The cats grunting echoed through the empty building. Zane lead the way toward the elevator, occasionally glancing behind them.

The elevator doors opened. Jack peeked his head out and pulled back in as Zane and Jo rushed into the elevator. The doors closed just as the cat slid across the floor to them. Zane and Jo both exhaled deeply as the elevator dropped.

"You two alright?" Jack asked.

Jo nodded.

"What's Taggert working on?" Zane asked.

"Um…some kinda force field to trap the cat." Jack explained.

"Is he done?" Jo asked.

"God I hope so." Jack answered.

There was a loud crash on the elevator roof. Jo instinctively pulled up her gun, pointing it at the roof. Jack pulled his pistol and pointed up. Zane flinched but looked up. A metallic scratching sound filled the elevator.

"It's trying to get in." Jo said.

The elevator stopped and the doors opened. They ran from the elevator down the hall. Above them came a metallic sound.

"It's in the vents." Zane called. He rounded the corner into the lab.

"Taggert tell me it's ready." Jack said.

Taggert shook his head. "I can't get it to work."

"Let me do it." Zane said. He jogged to Taggert's side and set his gun down. Zane worked quickly on the consol.

Above them, the echoing continued. Jo pointed her weapon up, ready to fire as will. Taggert walked to the shelves and pulled out his own gun. He filled a syringe and placed it into a dart. Taggert loaded his gun and readied himself.

"What's that?" Zane asked, not even looking up.

"Formonitrile." Taggert answered.

"Huh?"

"Hydrogen Cyanide. Three hundred milligrams can kill a man in ten minutes. Formonitrile is the IUPAC name for it." Zane explained.

Jack shook his head. "Too much science. Is that enough to kill this cat?"

"I put enough in here to kill four African elephants." Taggert answered.

"If that doesn't work then we're screwed." Zane said. He rubbed his hands together. "Done."

Suddenly then ceiling shattered. Carter and Jo ducked as the ceiling gave in. The cat pounced Zane, slamming him into the consol. Zane collapsed on the floor unconscious. The cat snarled and sunk its teeth into Zane's arm and started pulling him away.

Jo lowered her arms from her head. "Zane!"

Jo pulled up her gun and aim. She fired at the cat. The cat jerked to the side and released Zane. It snarled at Jo, lashing out with its claws.

Jo fired another round into the cat. But the cat kept coming. Jo moved around the consol for a better shot. The bullets embedded themselves into the cat's hide. The cat snarled at Jo, lashing out with its claws. It turned from Zane and pounced at Jo. The force sent Jo backwards to the ground. Her gun slid across the lab out of her reach.

"Jo!" Carter yelled. He aimed his gun and fired into the cat's side.

But the cat kept going for Jo. It pounced on her chest, pinning her to the ground. Jo looked for her gun, but it was too far out of her reach. The cat snarled and lashed its paw over Jo's face. Jo cringed as the claws raked over her cheek.

Taggert aimed his rifle, but he as he took aim, the cat was moving. If he missed he could risk shooting Jo, killing her instead of the cat. Jack dove for Zane's rifle and aimed the gun. He fired once into the cat's side, distracting it for a moment. Long enough for Jo to pull out her pistol to fire at the cat. But the cat turned back around before she pulled the trigger. The cat's claws knocked the gun from Jo's hand. It pounced again, slamming Jo's head to the ground. Jo remained motionless.

Jack fired at the cat. The cat jerked, but didn't turn from Jo. It bit her leg and dragged her from the center of the lab, near the enclosure. Jack stopped shooting and followed the cat. If they turned the field on now, they'd lose Jo.

"Jo!" Jack called. He followed the cat into the enclosure.

Before he could enter, the force field activated. Carter stopped abruptly before he touched it. He looked back to see Zane as the controls once more.

"Lower the field!" Carter ordered.

"Get back!" Zane yelled.

The cat turned around, looking at Carter. It snarled and charged. Carter ran from the enclosure entrance. The cat collided with the field. Instantly the cat cried out in pain as the field electrocuted it. The cat staggered back from the field, only to charge it again. The field shocked the cat as it tried to push through the field.

Then suddenly, the cat broke through the field. Jack aimed his rifle at the cat. But the cat didn't charge. It staggered around the front of the enclosure for a few seconds before it collapsed on the floor.

Zane sighed. "Taggert now would be a good time to shoot it."

Taggert nodded. He aimed the gun and fired. The syringe hit the cat in the side. For a few moments, the cat was breathing heavily. Then it stopped.

"Zane, lower the field." Jack ordered.

The field dropped. Carter ran past the cat into the enclosure. Jo was lying on the ground, still unconscious. Claw marks ran over her body, including her face. Blood was soaking through her shirt and pooling around her.

"Jo." Carter called.

Taggert knelt down beside Carter. He passed him several bandages. "Put them on the severe wounds. We need to stop the bleeding."

"I've got Doctor Blake on the way." Zane called. He held his phone with his left hand while his right held a bandage over his wounds.

"Come on, Jo. Wake up." Carter said.


	13. Chapter 13

When Jo woke, she felt a dull of pain all over her body. She opened her eyes to find herself in the infirmary. The last thing Jo remembered was being pinned beneath a five hundred pound mutated house cat.

"Hey." Allison said. "How're you feeling?"

"Like a human scratching post." Jo answered.

"Well you don't look like it anymore." Allison said.

Jo pushed herself up on her elbows. She felt the strain of her muscles as she leaned against her pillows. "What happened?"

Allison opened her mouth to answer, but she was interrupted.

"The fearless hunters killed the great beast and saved the distressing damsel." Carter explained.

Allison shook her head, laughing slightly.

"Interesting story. Makes me wonder how Tag's telling it." Jo said.

"This ain't my tale to tell sheila." Taggert said. He walked into the infirmary beside Jack. "You're lookin' a might better."

"That's what Allison says." Jo replied.

"Dermal regeneration." Allison explained. "And now that you've shown them you're alright, I need them to leave. You've still got a lot of recovery left."

Jack and Taggert looked disappointed as Allison showed them to the door. However as they were leaving, Zane entered the infirmary. He watched as Taggert and Jack were ushered out and used it to sneak over to Jo's side.

Zane pointed to Jack and Taggert. "They break something?"

Jo smiled. "No. but apparently I have a recovery to make."

Zane nodded. "I figured, so I thought I'd stop by at least once."

Jo arched her brow. "Oh."

"Yeah." Zane said. "You saved my ass in there, Jo. I mean if it hadn't been for you, I would've been the next meal. So, thanks for saving me."

Jo swallowed slowly. "You're welcome."

Zane nodded.

"You too, Zane. Out." Allison said.

"Sure thing doc." Zane said. He looked back at Jo and winked. Then he turned and walked out of the infirmary.


	14. Chapter 14

Jo entered GD for the first time since her release from the infirmary. Allison had recommended to Fargo that Jo refrain from returning to work for several weeks to ensure her injuries had healed correctly. Jo had suffered multiple lacerations on her face. The cat's teeth had punctured deep into her muscle tissue causing therapy to renew her strength. The claw marks on her chest nearly punctured her lung and pierced her heart. And after three weeks of keeping S.A.R.A.H. company, some physical therapy, and an occasional get well gift some an unknown person, Jo was glad to be back at GD.

Jo walked through the hall toward her office. Her paper work had most likely piled up and overcrowded her desk entirely. Jo walked through the door into her office. To her surprise, there was nothing cluttering her desk. No paperwork, no reports, nothing at all.

At first, Jo thought she had walked into the wrong office. But then again, her name plate was on the desk. Jo walked to her desk and eased herself into her chair. It was odd seeing her desk so well taken care up after her absence. Maybe her first day back would be an easy day?

Suddenly her phone rang. So much for an easy first day.

Jo pulled out her phone. "Lupo."

"_Heard you're back at Global today."_ It was Zane

"Perhaps. How would you know?" Jo asked. She leaned back in her chair.

"_Oh you know…I have my ways of weaseling information out o f Directors." _Zane answered.

Jo sat up in her chair. "You did what?"

"_Oh please, Fargo doesn't hold information well, it wasn't difficult. Not crimes were committed."_ Zane said.

Jo leaned back in her chair. "So why the call?"

"_Well, see…I wasn't sure that Fargo was telling the truth." _ Zane answered. He sounded like he was on the move.

"Right." Jo replied.

"_And maybe…I wanted to be the first to welcome you back to work."_ Zane said.

"Really?" Jo asked. She could help but smile slightly at the thought.

"_And ask you something." _Zane said.

Jo nodded. "Oh. And that would be?"

"Are you going to taze me again if I ask you out?" Zane asked. He stood in the doorway o f Jo's office.

Jo looked up from her desk. She tried to hide her surprise, but the smile on Zane's face told her she was failing. "Excuse me?"

"If I ask you out again, are you going to taze me again?" Zane asked.

Jo smirked and looked down. She reached into her desk and found her tazer in the top drawer. Instead of grabbing it, she closed the drawer and continued looking. After Jo had searched through her drawers, she looked up at Zane and shrugged. "No tazer, I'd say you're safe."

Zane laughed. "I'm not so sure since I know for a fact you keep it in the top drawer of your desk."

Jo smiled. "Maybe I'm in a good mood?"

"Oh let me get a picture." Zane said.

"Careful, just because I said I would tazer you for asking me out, doesn't mean I won't tazer you for smartass comments." Jo reminded.

"True, but that question was concerning my safety." Zane said.

"You have another one?" Jo asked.

"Yep." Zane said. He finally entered Jo's office. He walked across the room to her desk. Zane leaned over Jo's desk, toward her.

Jo leaned forward against her desk. She was mere inches from Zane. "And that would be?"

"Would you go one a date with me?" Zane asked.

In the back of her mind, Jo felt the question was coming. Why would he ask her about the tazer? Still, this was Zane. He pulls crap like this all the time. But Jo still couldn't keep herself from freezing.

Jo pretended she didn't understand Zane. "Excuse me?"

Zane didn't hesitate. "Will you go out with me?"

"I thought you and-"

"Zoe?" Zane asked. He shook his head and sat down in one of the chairs in front of Jo's desk. "After that incident in Café Diem a few weeks ago, I kinda figured she wasn't over Lucas. And frankly we really didn't have all that much in common. But I gotta be honest, we both had fun messy with her dad."

Jo couldn't resist a small smile.

Zane leaned across the table. "So, what do you say? Sunday brunch at Café Diem? Vincent was telling me about his pumpkin pancakes."

"No." Jo said quickly.

Zane closed his mouth for a moment. "Oh. Okay. I guess I'll leave ya." He stood up from the chair and turned toward the door.

Jo stood quickly. "Zane."

Zane stopped and turned to Jo.

"I…I didn't mean, I wouldn't go out with you." Jo started. She could do it all over again. Starts off right from the beginning. "It's just that…"

"What?" Zane asked.

That wasn't what she wanted.

"I've have a few dates that started with brunch. They didn't end well." Jo explained.

Zane's face lit up. "Oh. Okay then. What about lunch?"

Jo smiled. "Sounds good."

"Awesome. Noon, my lab. I'll bring the food." Zane said. He turned and walked toward the door.

"Wait, today?" Jo asked.

"Today. " Zane answered. He paused and looked back at Jo. "Don't be late, Jojo." And with that, Zane left her office.

Jo was left in a daze of confusion and astonishment. Did that conversation just happen? Of was this a medical induced hallucination? Jo slowly sat back in her chair, still reviewing the conversation. A small smile crept across her face. Real or not, Jo would find out at noon. Either way, it would be one hell of a first day back.


	15. Author's Note

okay, what did you think? I know there may be some grammer errors and missing words, that's what happens when i'm in my ZONE. and if you're bummed because now there's nothing new...i have soemthing in mind. it may take a while to write up...but i'll have it up as soon as i can.


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